


Why Carlos Agreed to Learn How to Swim

by River_Nix



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Angry Harry, Carlos almost drowns, Concerned Dizzy, Disappointed Ben, Fluff, Implications of violence, Jerk Chad, M/M, Protective Harry, Shaken Carlos, Supportive Uma, Upset Evie, Upset Jay, Upset Mal, Wise Evie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 20:42:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16249424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/River_Nix/pseuds/River_Nix
Summary: In the past, Carlos hasn't gone out of his way to learn how to swim. It just didn't seem necessary. However, after an incident involving Chad Charming and the campus pool occurs, Carlos changes his mind.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Magyar available: [Miért egyezett bele Carlos az úszóleckékbe](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19818889) by [onlydeadsoulscantdance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlydeadsoulscantdance/pseuds/onlydeadsoulscantdance)



**Carlos POV:**

I shiver as Jay escorts me back to our dorm, drops of water continuing to drip onto the floor from my clothes and hair. When we make it, Jay’s quick to open the door and shuffle me inside, closing and locking it behind us. 

 

“You ok, Carlos?” I sigh and shake my head. Normally, I wouldn’t want to worry him. But right now? I’m literally soaking wet and have evidence on my face that I’ve been crying. I’m not going to try and lie by saying I’m ok. 

 

“You want to talk about it?” I look up and nod.

 

Nodding back, Jay walks towards me, but stops for a moment. Confused, I tilt my head before understanding what he’s doing. He’s getting me some dry clothes. How sweet. 

 

“Here, you can change quickly while I get you a towel.” I thank him as he jogs into the bathroom before coming out with a towel. 

 

I take the towel gratefully before walking into the bathroom, dry clothes in hand. I make quick work of drying myself off before slipping on my dry clothes. Looking down, I blush at Jay’s choice. He got me some red boxers and a blue sweater that Evie recently made for me. It’s got my first name on the front and my last name on the back, sewed with black letters. One out of the four custom made sweaters that Evie made.

 

“Thanks Jay. This feels so much better.” Jay nods at me before giving me one of his signature smiles and a thumbs up. 

 

Sitting on my bed, I turn to face him and gesture for him to sit across from me. 

 

“Alright, so, what happened today? When Ben called the girls and I, Gil was cradling you to his chest and Uma wouldn’t say anything. She said we needed to hear it from you.” I blush at that memory. 

 

“Well, to start from the beginning, Chad pushed me into the pool.” I place my hands in my lap and look down as I recall what happened. 

 

_ Ben was trying to convince me to let him teach me how to swim, but I was hesitant. I’ve never had to learn to swim, and when I’ve tried, I’ve almost drowned. Safe to say, I was not eager to get back into the water.  _

 

_ “Come on Carlos, you know I won’t let anything happen to you. Besides, it’ll be fun.” I sigh at Ben’s pleading tone.  _

 

_ Ever since he’s learned that Uma and her crew could swim, he was convinced that Mal and us needed to learn. Now that I think about it, swimming would be useful. Ever since Harry’s confessed to me and we’ve started dating, I’ve always felt kind of bad when it came to certain dates. He’d want to go swimming, not surprising, but say that since I couldn’t, he’d wait until the next time Uma or Gil wanted to go. With that in mind, I turn to Ben and nod.  _

 

_ “Alright, sure.” Ben lights up before nodding and turning around.  _

 

_ “I’m going to go grab some swim trunks. Do you have any?” I give him a blank look.  _

 

_ “Right, right, never needed to swim. Here, I’ll dig through my drawers and see if I can find some that fit you. I’m pretty sure I still have my old ones.” I nod and look back towards the pool as Ben runs back to his room.  _

 

_ Looking into the water, I decide to spend this time wisely. Aka, getting use to the water so when I’m submerged in it, I don’t have a panic attack, or something. As I bend down, I swirl my fingers in it a few times before dipping my whole hand inside.  _

 

_ ‘Huh, not too cold. Maybe it won’t be that bad.’ I’m so into my thoughts and getting used to the water that I fall backwards and yelp when I hear a very familiar, annoying voice.  _

 

_ “Carlos! What are you doing here?” I sigh and stand up, turning to face Chad. _

 

_ “Ben wanted to teach me how to swim today. So, while he’s getting his swim stuff, I thought I’d get used to the water.” Chad rolls his eyes and scoffs.  _

 

_ “Dude, if you want to get used to the water, you should do more than just dip your hands inside.” I shrug.  _

 

_ “I just thought I’d take it slow. The only other time I’ve been fully submerged in water is the bathtub or when I take a shower.” Chad scoffs again before smirking. That’s not a good sign.  _

 

_ “How about I help you then? I mean, you’ve helped tutor me and stuff. Why don’t I return the favor?” I gulp and begin to back up a bit, forgetting there’s a pool behind me.  _

_ “No thanks, I’m good. The offer’s nice though…….” I stop backing up when I feel my heel sink a bit. Looking back, I see I’m at the edge of the pool. Another step and I could fall in.  _

 

_ “Oh, but Carlos, it would be so helpful if you want to get used to the water.” I gulp and turn around, shaking my head. Before I can answer verbally, I hear someone call out.  _

 

_ “Carlos!” My head snaps to the side and I see three people running here. Lost in panic, I shout the only word I can think of.  _

 

_ “Help!” That was probably not a good idea.  _

 

_ “Shut up!” I yelp as Chad pushes me in.  _

 

_ Let me tell you, water in your eyes, especially chlorine water, hurts like hell. The pain in my eyes and in my throat take over most of my senses. I flail uselessly, attempting to surface, before starting to go still. The bubbles that initially swarmed my head start to lessen, my vision starting blurr. And not due to the fact that I’m under water. I almost let myself fall into unconsciousness before gasping as a pair of arms grab my sides, pulling me up.  _

 

_ “Carlos! Pup! Are ya with meh? Ya good? Pup, say somethin!” I cough violently, retching a bit as well as oxygen flows back into my lungs.  _

 

_ “I- ‘cough cough’ - I can’t - ‘cough cough cough” I try to form a complete sentence, but find it impossible when I’m coughing so much. That, combined with the chlorine water continuing to siting my eyes causes me to cry.  _

 

_ When my coughing fit finally manages to go down, my breathing falling back under control, I sigh and lean back. Instead of meeting concrete, or whatever the pool side’s made of, I land on something softer and warmer. The tears are still falling, but they start to lessen as moments pass. _

 

_ “Gil, hold ‘im! I’m gonna go find that bastard of a prince!” I groan as a different pair of arms pull my body away from the warmth of my boyfriend before sighing and letting myself relax. I almost drowned, hear voices but can’t see bodies, and now need to worry about Harry hooking someone. I need a break.  _

_ “Harry, go. Gil and I will make sure Carlos is breathing properly and all.” If I were a bit more aware and conscious, I would’ve murmured that Harry can’t kill anyone.  _

 

_ “Ay, thank ye.” I barely make out anything else before giving in to the darkness.  _

 

“That’s all I remember. Besides waking up in the nurse's office with soaking clothes and people yelling that I gave them a heart attack.” I smile lightly as Jay snickers before frowning as I remember something. 

 

“Harry wasn’t there though. Where was he?” Jay tilts his head before shrugging. 

 

“No one really knows. All Uma said after you woke up was that Harry was finishing some business and Gil didn’t even mention him, just wished you well before leaving.” I nod slowly at that before yelling in alarm at a sudden realization.

 

“Jay, Chad! He’s after Chad!” I attempt to jump up and run to the door, only for Jay to be faster. He pushes me down on the bed before giving me a stern look. 

 

“You stay here. I’ll get the girls and see if we can find either Chad or Harry.” I bite my bottom lip as Jay sprints out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him. 

 

Groaning, I slump back onto my bed before sighing and grabbing my pillow. I hug it tightly, using it as a stress ball as I let out today’s stress. I need a nap. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Harry POV:**

‘I’m gonna kill him! I’m gonna shatter every bone in his body before strangling him!’ I continue to chase Chad across the field, not knowing or caring how much attention the scene’s attracting. 

 

“He could’ve drowned, ye bastard! Ye know he can’t swim!” I growl and speed up, almost close enough to grab him.

 

“It was just a joke!” I snarl and leap forward, probably almost crushing the pampered prince under my body weight. We wrestle for a few moments before I manage to pin him on his back.

 

“Bullshit! I heard ‘im scream help! Not to mention I saw ya backing ‘im up to the pool’s edge!” Growling, I push the entirety of my body weight on him before bringing a hand up and smacking it across his cheek. 

 

“Ow! Get off of me! I didn’t kill your precious pup!” I growl and ball my hand into a fist, bringing it down upon his stupid face. When he shrieks, I glare and bare my teeth. 

 

“No, but ye were pretty damn close!” After that, I bring my hand up before bringing it down again, repeating this motion until I feel hands grab me and try to pull me off. Naturally, I don’t come off without a fight. 

 

“Let me go! Little bastard deserves this after what he did to me pup!” I snarl and thrash, refusing to be dragged away. 

 

“Harry, please! I understand that you’re upset, I am too, but this won’t fix anything!” I growl and make to swipe at the new king before freezing when I see Mal’s eyes glow green. Ok, maybe not a good idea. 

 

“Harry, Carlos needs you more than Chad does. Why don’t you stop wasting your time on this ‘little bastard’ and go make sure your pup’s ok?” I roll my eyes at Mal’s idea.  

 

“I trust Uma and Gil can keep ‘im safe while I take care of this.” I glare at the little dragon girl when she rolls her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose before tilting my head as Evie steps forward. 

 

“That may be valid, Harry, but think about it this way: who deserves your attention more? Carlos or Chad?” I halt my growling and my thrashing at that. It’s a no brainer. 

“Me pup.” I furrow my brow at her smile before relaxing a bit when all she does is place a hand on my shoulder. 

 

“Then why don’t you let us take care of this while you go take care of Carlos? I know you trust Uma and Gil to do it, but you’re his boyfriend, he’ll want you more than anyone.” I consider Blueberry’s reason for a bit before sighing and nodding. 

 

Before I leave, I turn around and send one last glare Chad’s way. When I see him shrink into the ground, I smirk dangerously before turning to Ben. 

 

“I don’t regret what I did. He deserved it fer tryin to drown Carlos.” I raise a brow when king beastie nods his head with a grim look on his face. 

 

“I know, Harry. And don’t worry, you won’t get in trouble. In fact, Chad and I are going to have a long talk with my parents and his parents regarding his actions today.” I scoff before nodding my head and turning to the school building. 

 

“I wouldn’t care if I got in trouble or not.” With that, I take off into a sprint. 

 

When I arrive at Jay’s and Carlos’ dorm, only three down from mine, I take a deep breath before turning to the knob gently and entering the room. The sight that greets me melts away almost all of my previous anger and instead, leaves behind feelings of adoration and relief. Carlos is ok. 

 

“Hey, pup, I’m back.” I whisper as I walk forward. I seat myself next to his sleeping figure before running my hand through his white locks. 

 

“Pup, it’s me. I know yer tired, but can I at least make sure yer ok?” I continue to gently encourage Carlos to wake before grinning as my sleepy pup begins to stir. 

 

“Harry? That you?” I coo at Carlos’ adorable sleepy tone before reaching out to pull him to me. 

 

“Ay pup. Ya feelin a bit better?” I feel him nod his head in my shoulder before pulling back and looking up at me. 

 

“Did you hurt Chad?” I nod my head and bring a hand up to cup Carlos’ cheek. 

 

“No too much though. King Beast and the rest of yer group pulled meh off before I could do any real damage.” I feel Carlos shiver and lean forward to kiss his cheek. 

 

“Alright. As long as there was no blood…..” I allow a sheepish look to take over my features. 

 

“There was a bit of blood. A broken nose and two black eyes ta be exact.” I chuckle nervously as Carlos’ glares at me. It’s a bit too cute to be considered threatening. 

 

“Harry.” I sigh as my pup’s complaint before shaking my head and scooting back. Standing up, I remove my own jacket before draping it on top of the sweater that Carlos’ wearing. 

 

“How about I make sure you’re completely warm first before you start complaining?” I grin as Carlos’ glare softens before laughing as he buries himself in my jacket. 

 

“Fine.” I sit back down and stare at carlos for a moment before holding my arms out. 

 

“Will I be spared from a lecture if I cuddle ye?” I can practically hear the gears turning in Carlos’ head as he thinks about my proposal. In the end, he agrees. 

 

“You will need to explain to pretty much everyone why you did what you did though. That’ll be your consequence.” I snicker before leaning down and planting a kiss on Carlos’ neck. 

 

“Oh, I’m pretty sure everyone knows now. I kind of shouted it when I was chasing the bastard down.” I feel Carlos freeze up and worry. 

 

“Pup?” I ask with concern, bringing my hand up to turn his face so I can see his expression. 

 

“Can you teach me how to swim? Like, soon?” My eyes widen at that. Teach Carlos how to swim? 

 

“Pup, I’d love to. But are ye sure ye want to try soon?” Carlos nods at me before hugging me, burying his face into my chest. So cute. 

 

“Mhm. Now that everyone knows what happened, I’m going to get bombarded with offers on lessons. I’d really like to say that you’re teaching me to avoid any pressure.” I hum in understanding before hugging Carlos back. 

 

“Alright. We can start tomorrow if ya want. Fer now, rest.” I plant a kiss on Carlos’ forehead before kicking my shoes and removing my socks. 

 

“Thanks Harry. Love you.” I smile and plant another kiss on Carlos’ cheek before adjusting myself so I’m leaning in his head board as he sleeps on me. I feel like a human body pillow. 

 

“Love ye too, pup.” My eyes slip shut as I join Carlos in his slumber. Only one thing continues to flow through my mind: I get to teach Carlos how to swim tomorrow! 


	3. Chapter 3

**The Next Day**

Harry snickers as Carlos sits on the pool’s edge, only allowing his feet to sink into the water. They’ve been at the pool for about half and hour and Carlos has yet to actually get in. 

 

“Pup! Ya said ya wanted to learn to swim! Ya can’t do that if yer not even gonna come into the water.” Carlos blushes as Harry’s teasing tone before rolling his eyes and standing up. 

 

“Fine, fine, hold on.” Carlos walks to the shallow end before taking a few steps in. Once again, it takes a while since the water feels old at first. 

 

“See? That wasn’t so bad.” Carlos rolls his eyes at his boyfriend before walking around the shallow end. 

 

“Yeah, yeah, I get it Harry. Are you going to stay in the deep end or come and help me swim?” It’s Harry’s turn to roll his eyes. 

 

Swimming forward, Harry reaches the shallow end in less than a minute before pulling Carlos to his chest. He brings the smaller boy out a few feet before letting go and swimming back a bit. 

 

“Alright, first things first pup, ya gotta get used to having yer face under the water without freakin out.” Carlos nods slowly before looking down. 

 

He tries to remember that this isn’t like yesterday. He hasn’t gotten pushed into the water, he willingly walked in. Chad’s not his company, Harry is. Everything should be fine. With that thought, he takes a deep breath before allowing himself to sink underwater. Due to the lack of water, he keeps his eyes tightly closed. 

 

‘Huh, this actually feels kind of nice. The water’s warm, it’s almost soothing.’ Carlos hums into the water before running out of oxygen and quickly surfacing with a gasp. 

 

“Good job! How’d that feel?” Carlos wipes his eyes to get the water away before smiling at Harry. 

 

“Actually pretty nice.” Harry nods at the smaller boy before grabbing his arms and pulling him a bit farther. 

 

“Alright, time fer the actual swimmin part.” Carlos gulps quietly before nodding. This is going to be interesting. 

 

When they’re out far enough, Harry readjusts his grip so he’s holding Carlos’ waist instead of his arms. 

 

“Alright, here now …..lay on your belly-yea, like that- put your arms out in front of you….no, straight…..there you got it…..kick your legs out.” By the time 5:00PM rolls by, Harry’s got Carlos swimming by himself, completely relaxed with no help. 

 

“There ya go! That’ it!” Carlos swims back to the shallow end so he can actually stand before turning to face Harry with a bright smile on his face. 

 

“I can swim now!” Harry chuckles at his pup’s actions before swimming up to him and giving him a tight hug. 

 

“Ay! Ye did a good job!” Carlos giggles as Harry picks him up and spins him around, careful not to accidently swing Carlos into an edge or a wall. 

 

“Now all I’d have to work on is my speed.” Harry nods before carrying Carlos out of the pool. 

 

“That can be saved fer another day. Right now, why don’t we go deliver the good news to the others?” Carlos nods before carefully climbing out of Harry’s hold and grabbing his towel. 

 

“Good idea. Thanks again for helping me today.” Harry nods with a wink before leaning down to give Carlos a little peck on the lips. 

 

“No problem pup, it was me pleasure.” Carlos smiles before grabbing his extra clothes and walking towards the bathroom stalls by the corner of the pool. 

 

“Come on, let’s go change.” Drying off and changing only takes about 15 minutes. 

 

When the boys are done, they walk hand in hand towards the carfeteria to grab a quick snack. Ok, more like Harry can get a quick snack and get Carlos something as well, despite the boys assurance that he’s not that hungry. Upon reaching the cafeteria, a very stern, but friendly voice calls out to them. 

 

“Harry! Carlos! Over here!” Carlos scans the room before locking eyes with Uma. 

 

“Comin captain!” Carlos snickers as Harry practically drags him over to the table Uma and Gil are seated at. 

 

“Hi Uma, hi Gil.” Uma offers a smile and a nod while Gil shouts his greeting. A small conversation is made before Uma’s eyes furrow.

 

“Carlos, about yesterday, I’m sorry.” Carlos waves off Uma’s apology. What happened yesterday wasn’t her fault. 

 

“Wasn’t your fault. Chad’s the one that pushed me in.” Uma hums before Gil gasps and scrambles to explain the result to Chad’s actions. 

 

“I heard from Jay and Evie that after the meeting with the parents and Ben, that Chad has to offer you an apology in front of the whole school before explaining what he did and what his consequence was.” Carlos raises an eyebrow at that. 

 

“Isn’t his consequence apologizing to me in front of everyone?” Gil shakes his head while Uma chuckles and points to Harry. 

 

“Nope. The consequence was receiving a broken nose and a bruise up face. Courtesy of one Harry Hook.” Carlos sighs before cuddling into Harry’s side. 

 

“Of course.” Harry doesn’t even pretend to look guilty, just offers Carlos a smile before planting a kiss on his head. 

 

“So, when does Chad have to do this apology?” Uma shrugs at Harry before looking up and waving her hand. 

 

“Guys, over here!” Carlos and Harry looks behind to see Ben, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Dizzy walking over. 

 

“Carlos! You feeling better from yesterday?” Carlos nods at Evie before leaning up to kiss Harry’s cheeks, an action that has Mal and Jay playfully gagging while Ben covers Dizzy’s eyes. 

 

“Yeah, Harry taught me how to swim today, so an incident like that shouldn’t ever happen again.” That was a bad joke to make on Carlos’ part, as he soon realizes. 

“That sort of thing won’t happen again regardless on whether you know how to swim or not.” Carlos offers Mal and apologetic smile for the awful joke before Dizzy interrupts. 

 

“How wonderful! Does this mean you’ll actually get into the water whenever we go to the beach or the Enchanted Lake?” Carlos playfully glares at the giggling girl before hiding his face in Harry’s shirt. 

 

“Leave the lad alone and come sit down. All this hovering is becoming a bit creepy.” Carlos’ laugh at Uma is smothered in Harry’s shirt. 

 

“Yeah, ok.” When everyone finds a seat, Harry once again asks when Chad plans to deliver that apology. 

 

“I’ve given him two days until his punishment extends from a months worth of detention to getting suspended.” Harry narrows his eyes, but nods nonetheless. 

 

“Well, everyone’s about to come into the cafeteria for dinner. Maybe he’ll be smart for once and take advantage of that.” A chorus of chuckles is heard around the table before Dizzy gasps and points to the entrance of the cafeteria. 

 

“There he is! Woah! Is his whole face purple or something?” Carlos sighs and keeps his face buried in Harry’s chest while Ben looks over and nods at Dizzy. 

 

“Pretty much. Oh yeah, Harry, I couldn’t save you from getting at least two detentions since you broke his nose.” Harry shrugs, not really giving a damn. No one really protests either since two detentions isn’t that bad. 

 

“What if he comes over here?” Evie grabs Dizzy’s hand and squeezes gently before offering the girl a small smile. 

 

“Don’t give him any attention. He’d be here to apologize to Carlos and all that, nothing more and nothing less.” Dizzy nods before standing up and pulling Evie with here. 

 

“Let’s go get some food then!” Evie laughs and nods, following the jumpy girl to where the food and plates are. 

 

After some time, everyone decides to follow their lead and get up to grab some food. When they return, they’re blessed with about 10 minutes of friendly chatting before Chad interrupts them. 

“Hey Carlos, can we talk?” Carlos looks up and flinches at the sight. Dizzy was right, the majority of Chad’s face of purple and blue. 

 

“I’m pretty sure ye can say what ya need to say with him here.” Chad raises his hands in surrender at the warning.

 

“Ok, ok.” Harry nods before holding Carlos tightly, narrowing his eyes when Chad calls out to the room to get everyone’s attention. 

 

“Everyone, I require your attention for a brief moment.” Chad looks to Carlos for a moment before turning back to the crowd. 

 

“Yesterday, I did something I really shouldn’t of done. I pushed Carlos into the campus pool while knowing he couldn’t swim.” A chorus of gasps and murmurs were heard across the room. 

 

“Instead of helping him, I ran. Another mistake I made.” Chad turns to Carlos, ignoring the angry hisses and disappointed shouts directed at him. 

 

“Carlos, I’m sorry. My actions yesterday weren’t ok by any means.” Carlos looks up from Harry’s shirt and sees that Chad’s gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. He’s either really embarrassed or there’s no sincerity in his apology. 

 

“As long as this doesn’t happen again, then it’s fine.” Carlos holds his hands over Harry’s lips when the pirate goes to protest. 

 

“Thank you.” Chad grits out before turning on his heel and stomping away. He almost gets to the entrance before Mal calls him. 

 

“Hey! You didn’t finish! What’s your punishment?” Chad turns around and glares at Mal before sighing and grunting in frustration when that earns him a glare from Ben. 

 

“Besides having a broken nose and bruised up face, I’ll also be serving a month's worth of detention.” After that statement’s screamed out, Chad marches out of the room. 

 

Everyone at the table scoffs at Chad’s actions before the conversation is moved towards class work and stuff like that. All the while, Carlos is tucked under Harry’s arm, completely safe from anyone like Chad. 

**Author's Note:**

> I've been trying to get Harry's accent right. So..... sorry if I haven't quite yet.


End file.
